The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1881.

Kumara Times, Issue 1572, 11 October 1881, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1881.

Local self-government is most undoubtedly a vevy good thing in its way ; it is a thing which is sought for, and fought for, and the greater its development, the larger share of liberty are the people supposed to possess. But in this, as in many other matters, it appears to be quite possible to have

too much cf a good thing; at all events this would appear to apply to that portion of Westland known as tho Borough of Kumara. Wt: are ied to arrive at this com;.tifion in coiist-queuce of the lvcont action of that wonderful public hotly the Municipal Council of the Borough nf Kum-ii-a, iu not merely following, but exceeding the cheeseparing policy of a parsimonious Government in the reduction of salaries. There was a pefect howl of indignation throughout the length and breadth of the land when it was announced that there was to be a ten per cent, reduction on the salaries ot the " poor civil servants," very many of whom were being paid at a most extravagant rate. Some persons indeed, gifted largely with imagination, did not hesitate to assert that the cruel treatment of " Government officers," was the first sign of the commencement of the " pestilential period " which was foretold to begin last year. What would these " poor civil servants " have saiti had they been served in the same style in winch the Town Clerk of Kumara has been treated by the Borough Council 1. It is admitted on all sides that the gentleman referred to is a man of vevy considerable ability, ami it is entirely owing to his skill that we find the streets of Kumara far better formed than those of other towns of New Zealand, which were settled and inhabited thirty years ago. As an Engineer, Mr Wylde ranks second to none in the colony, and the people of this town should consider themselves extremely fortunate in having had the advantage of hi 3 skill and experience in making this place what it is, that is so far as engineering is concerned. As Town Clerk, he has evinced a remarkable aptitude for the work he has had to perform, and has done it well and thoroughly. Why then, under such conditions, should his salary be reduced to the extent it has ? As Town Clerk, he at the present time receives a less amount annually than do any of the day-labor men who ate supposed to be busily engaged in •repairing the County roads, or breaking road metal. Such a state of things is simply absurd, and should not for a moment be tolerated. It would be far cheaper to pay a good man a fair salary, than to engage what miners would term a " duffer," at laborer's wages ; and we firmly believe that if Mr Wylde is bunted out of the office he has so long held, it will be a matter of extreme difficulty to find an equally good man to replace him. No one will for a moment deny that Mr Wylde could, had he so chosen, have obtained in the public service of New Zealand a much higher salary than he has received here as Town Clerk and Engineer; but he threw in his lot with us, and having made a home for himself, expended every farthing of his salary in the district. He did this under the very natural impression that the position he occupied was a permanent one. That he was justified in arriving at such a conclusion is proved by the rule which obtains in connection with the office of Town Clerk all over the world (except in Kumara). We believe that the Borough Council have committed a very grave error, but it may not yet be too late to amend it. Careful consideration of the question will probably convince one or more Councillors that hasty action is hardly ever followed by good resists, and that the rec-ent reductions of salary are so wholesale in their nature, as to be not only extremely injudicious, but most unfair.